What is Patient Navigation
We want to provide you with individualized, state of the art treatment. To assist in the process, we are assigning you a personal nurse navigator. Your Patient Navigator will contact you regularly to help you understand your diagnosis, coordinate communication between you and your physician, facilitate treatment including appointments and diagnostic testing in a timely manner and help guide you through the steps to significant improvement in your BPH symptoms.
What is an enlarged prostate?
Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, or BPH, is a condition in which the prostate enlarges as men get older. Over 70% of men in their 60s have BPH symptoms, so it is very common1. While BPH is a benign condition and unrelated to prostate cancer, it can greatly affect a man’s quality of life. As the prostate enlarges, it presses on and blocks the urethra, causing bothersome urinary symptoms such as:
- Frequent need to urinate both day and night
- Weak or slow urinary stream
- A sense that you cannot completely empty your bladder
- Difficulty or delay in starting urination
- Urgent feeling of needing to urinate
- A urinary stream that stops and starts
If you suffer from the above symptoms, you are not alone. BPH is one of the leading reasons for men to visit a urologist.
What are my treatment options
Watchful Waiting: When symptoms are mild, your doctor may just monitor your condition and ask you to track your symptoms before deciding if any treatment is necessary.
Medications: Your doctor may prescribe medications to manage your symptoms. While medications can be helpful in relieving symptoms for some men, patients must continue taking them long-term to maintain the effects. Over 20% of men on medication for BPH discontinue treatment early for reasons such as being dissatisfied with side-effects or not getting adequate symptom relief.
Prostatic Urethral Lift (UroLift® System): The UroLift® System PUL procedure is a minimally invasive procedure that lifts and holds the enlarged prostate tissues out of the way so it no longer blocks the urethra. There is no cutting, heating or removal of prostate tissue and the procedure is typically performed in a physician’s office.
Thermotherapies (Rezum) Heat & Steam-Based Therapies: Thermotherapies are minimally invasive treatments where heat energy such as microwave or radiofrequency is applied to prostate tissue. Symptom relief does not occur immediately, and patients often need to have a catheter that is attached to a urine bag inserted into their bladder during the recovery period.
Laser PVP, HoLEP: Laser therapy lessens the bleeding risks of traditional TURP. However, since prostate tissue is still removed, there can be tissue swelling and an uncomfortable healing time. Typically, a catheter has to be inserted into the bladder after the procedure.
Major Surgery Transurethral Resection of the Prostate (TURP): TURP is the most common surgery to treat BPH.
During this procedure, patients undergo general anesthesia, and prostate tissue is removed. TURP is often considered the “gold standard” for long-term results. Patients have to have a catheter that is attached to a urine bag inserted into their bladder for several days after the procedure. Symptom relief may not occur immediately, but lasts for a long time in many patients once it does occur.